Android Apps
LauncherPro is a simple and effective Android Home replacement/launcher (App Reviews)
May 18, 2010 | by Chris Smith
Free apps, Reviews
If you are a Moto DROID owner and have the same somewhat negative feelings about the stock Android Home screen and launcher, then you have probably been down the rabbit hole of home/launcher replacements. The one that I have stuck with for some time now, HelixLauncher, is somewhat stable, simple and convenient, but today I think I may have found the simplest and fastest home replacement yet.
LauncherPro Beta (2.x only – needs verification) is a simple and effective Android Home and launcher replacement. I am testing it on a Moto DROID with a custom Android 2.1 ROM. If you have used HelixLauncher you will be familiar with the way that LauncherPro looks. There is a four icon “dock” at the bottom of the screen that houses your phone, contacts, browser, and messaging app’s icons that doesn’t change from screen-to-screen. One miss-step is the fact that you can change the icons on the dock; you are stuck with what the developer thought were the most used applications. This could be fixed in subsequent updates, yet it is a little annoying.
Sliding from screen to screen will remind you of the way that HTC Sense sliding works (sort of fast with a little bit of “play” in the screen when you reach the next screen) and is generally fast and fluid. The launcher “flies-in” like the Nexus One and has the smoothest scrolling I have ever used on a launcher. The scrolling is as smooth as scrolling through your contacts; there are barely ever any hiccups and it works well. When you are in the launcher and hit the back button, the launcher icons “fly-out” and you return to your home screen.
Another excellent feature is when you are on your home screen and hit the home button on your phone, you will be presented with a card view (think HTC Sense) of all you home screens. Clicking on one will take you to the screen. Awesome.
Am I a LauncherPro fanboy? Yeah, I kind of am. Just ask Andrew. I have been trying to get him to try it for the last day.
KEY FEATURES
- smooth home screen sliding
- up to 7 home screens
- fast launcher (with 3D transitions) with excellent scrolling
- handy “card view” by clicking on the home button
CONS
- No way to change the bottom dock icons
App: Launcher Pro Beta
Price: Free
Website: http://www.launcherpro.com/
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
More about this app
![Jorte is a promising Android calendar replacement [App Reviews]](http://862525175.r.cdn77.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/jorte-2.png)
Thats not true. If you remove Mms.apk and Mms.odex as well as Browser.apk and Browser.odex, it automagically adds HandScent and Xscope as your defaults for those apps in the bottom of the launcher, of course, as long as thats what you have installed
This happened to me as soon as I installed – Handcent opens for messaging and Dolphin for Browser. I think it just reads your system defaults.
The developer has stated in his blog that he is already working on the customization for the bottom dock.http://www.launcherpro.com/?p=11
Also, if you go into Dolphin settings and set it to default browser, Dolphin will open when you use the browser shortcut.
Not only pushing the home button but on multi touch devices you can pinch the home screen and the card view will show up!
works great on my G1 with Cyanogen 5.0.7 test5
Hey Justin, how stable is test5 right now… really wanting to put it on a MyTouch… Trying to wait for Stable release…not …sure… if I'll…. make…it…
My recent post My thoughts on your ISP email
omG! Why didn't I try that before?! Thank you so much for the info! *-*
I tried this app out yesterday on my N1 and it was kinda slow and choppy. Is anyone else having that?
My recent post My thoughts on your ISP email
Nope, flies on my Nexus One.
Not at all. Its smoother than Sense UI 2.1.
Awesome app… 2 more home screens for the N1 makes a big difference (from 5 to 7), and once the fixed icons become customizable – the app will be perfect.
-Happy N1 Owner
It’s definitely an amazing app, almost replaced HTC Sense on my Desire except for one thing – using LauncherPro means you can’t use the HTC Sense custom widgets (particularly the excellent Messages widget). If they can find a way around that, I’d happily pay for this.
Plenty of great messaging widgets on the market. Dont let that hold you back from this awesome home replacement! I gave up Sense UI completely and could care less. So many widgets out there duplicate Sense's widgets, so its no big deal at all. Plus I got live wall papers running on my eris, and still get 5.45 mflops
I uninstalled and reinstalled. No issues… but I have already gone back to the stock launcher… will wait for 2.2
My recent post My thoughts on your ISP email
How do I get old home back once Ive selected to use this as default?
Matt, go to Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications and scroll down to LauncherPro. Click "Clear defaults" and press the "Home" button. Choose the default launcher and press the button asking if it should always perform that function.
after you switch back to the normal launcher and set that as the default, how do you open launcher pro??? i want to change it back now
Do the same thing as I pointed out in the directions, except clear defaults for home and choose "launcher pro"
I don't know why you feel you can't change the dock icons… i was able to just by long-tapping one of the icons and you can change it to whatever you want.
For some reason my shortcut dock icons at the bottom has stopped letting me scroll thru them. Anyone have any ideas why. Gonna try to uninstall & reinstall.